AUV, Never Tasted It

"Standing before you is today's hotpot manager, but the 'manage' is silent—just call me Master."

Lin Mo looked solemn, holding a plate of crystal-clear boneless chicken as if he were cradling some rare treasure.

With a flick of his wrist, the evenly diced chicken on the plate was neatly swept into a large slotted spoon.

Then, the spoon sank into the pot, instantly submerged by the clear coconut water chicken broth.

This soup base was Lin Mo's proudest creation. Pure, natural coconut water, simmered slowly with the chicken skeleton left over from deboning.

The refreshing sweetness of the coconut and the umami of the chicken bones mingled and elevated in the steam. The extracted amino acids and natural sugars formed a pure yet richly layered savory flavor.

As soon as the chicken entered the pot, the bubbling, boiling surface of the soup instantly calmed.

Lin Mo stirred the chicken to ensure it heated evenly, then watched it quietly.

Slowly, fine bubbles emerged from the bottom of the pot again, and the soup returned to a boil.

"Timer starts now, one minute," he announced in a low voice, as if executing the operating procedures for some precision instrument.

He knew the temperament of this chicken all too well, especially the breast meat—a minute too long and it would be tough, a minute too short and it would be raw.

Five minutes was its absolute limit. Past that point, even the most tender chicken would become dry and taste like chewing wax.

The moment the time was up, Lin Mo sharply lifted the slotted spoon. The broth dripped through the mesh, leaving only the white, tender, plump chicken.

"Done!"

Steam rose, instantly stimulating the savory aroma of the chicken and filling the air above the dining table.

He had originally planned to just leave the slotted spoon in the middle for them to help themselves, saving him the trouble of serving everyone individually.

The plan worked.

Chu Miaomiao moved later but arrived first. She picked up the plumpest piece of chicken and steadily placed it into Lin Mo's bowl, her movements smooth and natural.

Lin Mo paused for a moment.

Immediately after, Xie Yuling and Jiang Yunlu, whose chopsticks were about to retract, paused in mid-air. As if reaching a tacit understanding, they simultaneously changed direction and dropped the pieces of chicken they had picked up into Lin Mo's bowl one after another.

In an instant, a small mountain of chicken piled up in his bowl.

Tsk tsk tsk, two little copycats.

Lin Mo's gaze passed over the pile of chicken and landed on Ning Qingcheng, the only one who hadn't made a move, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

That look seemed to say: Where's yours? You brat, aren't you going to show some appreciation?

Ning Qingcheng read his silent provocation. She snorted inwardly, grumpily reached out with her chopsticks, and also picked up a piece of chicken.

First, she dipped the chicken into the sand ginger, lime, and soy sauce dish in front of her, letting the sauce evenly coat the meat's surface.

Just when Lin Mo thought this piece of meat would ultimately end up in his bowl, Ning Qingcheng's wrist traced a slippery arc in mid-air. Her chopsticks swerved, and she popped the chicken directly into her own mouth.

She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, her cheeks bulging slightly, and mumbled her praise, "Mmm... so good, this chicken is so tender and smooth."

Lin Mo's face instantly dropped.

He stared at her darkly: "It might not be cooked through, you know."

"It's fine, I have a strong constitution, immune to all poisons!"

Ning Qingcheng retorted without showing any weakness, deliberately chewing twice more with a smug "Are you mad?" look on her face.

Fine, fine, so that's how we're playing.

Lin Mo sneered in his heart, turned to look at the other three puppets who were still watching the show, and deliberately raised his voice:

"Eat up, what are you all staring at? This girl already took the lead, why are you still being polite?"

"Alright! Then I won't hold back!" Xie Yuling was the first to respond. She immediately reached out her chopsticks again, picked up a piece of chicken, dipped it in the sauce, and ate it with great satisfaction.

Chu Miaomiao and Jiang Yunlu also smiled at each other, no longer feeling restrained, and joined in.

Eating really was the best way to defuse awkwardness.

Most importantly, nothing confrontational happened among the three girls.

Probably because the needle and the wheat awn slept in the same bed today, so they both felt a little awkward.

At least Jiang Yunlu was very embarrassed; after all, she was still hugging Xie Yuling.

Of course, Chu Miaomiao was also embarrassed, but she had always been submissive and timid.

Lin Mo casually rested the slotted spoon on the edge of the pot, picked up an undipped piece of chicken with his chopsticks, lightly dabbed it in the soy sauce dish, and put it in his mouth.

The chicken was smooth and tender; eating it without bones was simply delightful.

Although the main ingredients for Coconut Chicken were Wenchang chicken and coconuts from Hainan Island.

Coconut Chicken hotpot was actually born in Pengcheng.

Once a chicken was deboned, there really wasn't much meat left. After a few pairs of chopsticks tossed around in the pot, and Lin Mo blanched three rounds of it, the chicken in the pot bottomed out.

Eating hotpot in Guangdong province followed a specific order. The broth of this Coconut Chicken was the essence and had to be drunk first.

"Come on, everyone taste this soup."

Lin Mo picked up the soup ladle and served everyone a bowl. The broth was clear, and the intertwined aromas of coconut and meat wafted out, whetting everyone's appetite.

He sprinkled a little fine salt into his bowl and gave it a gentle stir with his spoon. The refreshing sweetness of the coconut water and the richness of the chicken fat were instantly activated, blooming into a fresh, sweet taste on the tip of the tongue.

"Wow, this soup is so good!"

Chu Miaomiao took small sips, her eyes sparkling. This was a flavor she had never experienced before.

The fresh sweetness of the mixture of coconut water, chicken meat, and chicken bones was fully displayed.

"Drink more if you like it," Lin Mo said with a smile.

After all, it was only 2013 right now, and Coconut Chicken hotpot had not yet swept the nation. For these girls tasting it for the first time, the flavor was indeed stunning.

After finishing the soup, Lin Mo dumped the hand-beaten beef meatballs into the pot all at once, and then began to blanch the beef slices.

The pot boiled once again, overflowing with the aroma of meat.

When eating beef, the dipping sauce naturally had to be changed as well.

The soy sauce originally used for dipping the chicken was replaced with fried garlic, shacha sauce, and sesame paste.

"Aren't you from Tianjing? You should like eating sesame paste, right?" Lin Mo asked casually.

Ning Qingcheng looked at the brown sauce in her bowl, poked it curiously with the tip of her chopsticks, and then shook her head.

"Never had it."

"Huh?"

Lin Mo was stunned. "A Tianjing native who has never eaten sesame paste? Are you kidding me?"

"Such a sauce is not allowed on the Ning family's dining table," Ning Qingcheng said matter-of-factly.

Lin Mo's mouth twitched.

Oh my, as expected of the Ning family, so particular!

However, rules were dead, while people were alive.

Ning Qingcheng was clearly very interested in this bowl of sauce. Mimicking Lin Mo, she picked up a slice of cooked beef, rolled it around in the sauce, and put it in her mouth.

The next second, her eyes lit up.

The savory umami of the shacha sauce and the mellow richness of the sesame paste blended perfectly. Coupled with the roasted aroma of the fried minced garlic, it elevated the taste of the beef to a whole new level.

"Delicious," she evaluated concisely, and then buried her head in eating, her movements becoming much more agile.

As for Lin Mo, he liked to add a little Sichuan peppercorn oil, as well as some sesame oil.

In some places, Sichuan peppercorn oil is called numbing oil, and sesame oil is called fragrant oil.

But in Guangdong province, Sichuan peppercorn oil is just called Sichuan peppercorn oil, while sesame oil is instead called numbing oil.

Aside from Xie Yuling, the others rarely ate hotpot.

Including Chu Miaomiao.

It was mostly Lin Mo doing the eating. The girls didn't eat much; even Ning Qingcheng, who was at a growing age, only ate a bit more than the other three.